The good folks at Lonely Planet have a very pleasant habit of lowering the prices of their excellent guides to celebrate events. Today, they follow that tradition by launching their new Austin guide – for free.

The app covers things to do, where to eat, , where to shop, neighborhood basics and more.

Since SXSW is a real strain on mobile networks, you’ll be happy to know that the app includes offline maps.

It is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and can be downloaded from the App store. The promotion started this morning and lasts till March 15 at 5PM PST, after it ends, the guide will go back up to its usual price ($5.99).